MAC minister conveys thoughts on sincerity in speech at Nanjing Univ.

NANJING -- Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Wang Yu-chi delivered a speech at China's Nanjing University Wednesday in which he called on young people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to change the world with sincerity.

In his speech, titled "Sincerity Moves the World," Taiwan's top China policy charter asked young people, who he described as having relatively no historical burden compared with the older generations, to pursue facts and see the differences between the two sides.

"Use earnestness and sincerity to change the world," Wang urged.

In the speech, Wang said that Taiwan hopes for further development of cross-strait ties, with the two sides devoting themselves to regional peace and the establishment of a rich and civilized society.

Wang arrived in Nanjing a day earlier at the start of a four-day visit that will also take him to Shanghai. He is the first incumbent Taiwanese Cabinet member to visit China in an official capacity.

At Nanjing University, one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning on the mainland, Wang was introduced by his official title by a welcoming board. His audience included China's Taiwan Affairs Office Vice Minister Chen Yuanfeng.

A source close to Wang revealed that the minister put a great deal of effort into preparing his speech.

The basic idea of the speech was inspired by Wang's personal experience of having his first cross-Taiwan Strait contact 24 years ago, the source said.

At that time, Wang took part in a debating competition for Asian college students on behalf of Taiwan and made it all the way to the finals in Singapore, where he encountered the Nanjing University debating team, the source went on.

After the debate and despite facing entry access control, the Nanjing University students were unable to conceal their desire to know more about Taiwan, while Wang also felt the same way vice-versa, the source said.

Wang told his audience that this was a "profound experience" that made him believe it is necessary for him to convey his thoughts that cross-strait exchanges can only keep developing if the two sides can get along with sincerity and appreciate their differences, the source said.

Moreover, the "sincerity" reference in Wang's speech was used in relation to a lyric in the university's anthem, which was seen as significant, the source added.